Sunrun last week became the first company to win a contract to supply capacity to a wholesale power market from a virtual power plant -- solar energy and storage aggregated from homes.
The San Francisco, Calif. company, which sells solar power, battery storage and energy services to residential customers, competed head on with other … [Read more...]

Something funny happened on the way to this century’s big, new electric transmission build out. North America got religion about local energy.
Consider this headline in yesterday’s New York Times, “Fight to Keep Alternative Energy Local Stymies an Industry.” The article talks about the 3,100 miles of transmission line projects awaiting … [Read more...]

Green Mountain Power has begun building what is believed to be the US’ first solar microgrid in a brownfield landfill, part of project to revitalize Rutland City.
The Vermont utility is installing 7,700 solar panels that can generate 2 MW, backed up by a 4-MW battery storage system.
Called Stafford Hill Solar Farm, the $10 million microgrid … [Read more...]

Industry Perspectives

Ameresco’s vice president of microgrid services, Will Agate, describes the process of getting started on your microgrid project — the very first step of which is to carefully consider and define the needs of your organization and its community.

White Papers

A microgrid is a discrete energy system consisting of distributed energy sources (e.g. renewables, conventional, storage) and loads capable of operating in parallel with, or independently from, the main grid. The primary purpose is to ensure reliable, affordable energy security for commercial, industrial and federal government consumers. Benefits that extend to utilities and the community at large include lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower stress on the transmission and distribution system.